Orton Hall (1893) is Ohio State’s second-oldest building and its most geological — literally: its bell tower and walls showcase Ohio building stones in stratigraphic order, a textbook you can walk around. Inside, the Orton Geological Museum has displayed fossils, minerals and a giant ground sloth since 1875.
The museum’s star now greets you in the lobby: “Cryolophosaurus,” the Antarctic crested dinosaur whose casting project — built by Ohio State scientists who excavated the real bones — makes Orton the only place in Ohio to meet this polar predator. Add mastodon skeletons, glittering mineral cases and free admission, and it’s the campus’ best-kept family secret.
Named for Edward Orton, Ohio State’s first president and state geologist, the hall still houses the geology school it was built for.
A museum where the building itself is Exhibit A. Bring a young rockhound.
